Comments on: UN count of civilians killed in Gaza excluded all dead men

By: Colin Murray

Colin Murray — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

This is more brazen racism. Are dead Israeli men automatically assumed to me combatants? I doubt it, even though it is VASTLY more likely that they would be, than a random Gazan man, given that all male Israelis serve in at least reserve forces until they are, what 45? 50? Someone on this blog who knows, please correct my estimate.

By: Eva Smagacz

Eva Smagacz — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

In the proportionality stake, these are worth one Israeli arm:

Or was that one fingernail?

By: Father Ted

Father Ted — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Same rationale as Israel used in earlier attack on Gaza:

Eitan Arusi, an Israeli military spokesman acknowledged that "some civilians" were killed but said the Israeli policy was to refrain "as much as possible" from targeting civilians. However, an initial investigation into the fatalities by B'Tselem - the Israeli organisation that monitors and documents human rights violations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza - found that 41% were civilians "who took no part in the fighting". B'Tselem also found that 19 children under the age of 17 had been killed by Israeli forces. Arusi categorically denied such a large number of civilians were killed. "I don't care that its B'Tselem who reported the numbers," he told Aljazeera.net.

Arusi persisted that, with the exception of some 10 civilians and a 65-year-old man, all Palestinians killed in northern Gaza since Wednesday were in their 20s and 30s. Arusi gave no answer, however, when asked if Israeli military policy considered every Palestinian male in the 20-40 age bracket a legitimate target for liquidation just because he happened to be within a bracket typically associated with military recruitment.

-- Al Jazeera, Palestinian civilians in Israel's sights?, 4 Oct 2004.

Link at homepage.

By: A blogger from Lebanon

A blogger from Lebanon — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Well, keep accommodating Israel. Soon they will say that women, too, must not be counted since there are women members of Hamas. Keep it up. Keep it up. I can say only one thing to all those who keep accommodating the zionazis. It is all being recorded. All being noted. Whose blood is on whose hands. History will not forgive. Palestinians will not forgive. Revenge will be the name of the game.

By: Viktor Vudinav

Viktor Vudinav — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:00:00 +0000

The latest U.N. "count" referes to one third of Gaza casualties as "children". What is the age that the U.N. is using to define a "child"? Is it under 18 years? Because many of the militants are 17, 16, and 15 years old.

In Somalia, boys as young as 13 are in the battlefield with AK-47's killing and raping civilians.